Q: Were you surprised the Giants went after you?
Canty: "It was a little bit surprising. We didn't anticipate this opportunity being there in free agency, my agent and I. But I'm sure glad they did, because I think this is the best place for me and a chance to be a part of a great organization and a great football team. I'm really excited about it."
Q: Have they expressed to you what role they expect you to play, end or tackle, or will it be both?
Canty: "It will be both. Coach (Mike) Waufle and Coach (Tom) Coughlin expressed it to me on Sunday that they will be using me at both positions. That's something I'm definitely looking forward to, being able to move around and use my versatility. It's going to present a lot of opportunities for me and a lot of challenges for offensive lines."
Q: Have they specified whether it will be left or right end?
Canty: "No, they did not."
Q: Did you hear from Coach Parcells in Miami?
Canty: "Yes, but it was very limited contact. It really wasn't a viable option for us. There were going to be other opportunities for us that probably were going to be a better fit, because down there in Miami they had a few young guys that they were excited about. That wasn't really a viable option for us."
Q: You're on a team with four defensive tackles and three ends that could start in a lot of places. Do you wonder how there is going to be enough playing time for all of you?
Canty: "No, I don't wonder about that. I just know it's good to be a part of a defensive line that has so many good players. I think we can definitely attack offensive lines in waves and they'll never get a break. We'll wear them down. So I'm really excited to be a part of that kind of defensive line."
Q: Was it your intention going into free agency that your decided preference was a 4-3 (defense)?
Canty: "I definitely did want to take a look at the 4-3 teams, because it's going to present a different opportunity for me in the game of football. It's going to allow me to make a few more plays than you would necessarily in the 3-4. A 4-3 team was definitely something I wanted to take a look at. I wasn't sure what the interest would be there, because I wasn't sure whether teams believed that I could do it. But when the start of free agency came and I saw how many 4-3 teams were interested, I said that opportunity would definitely be there."
Q: What was your sense playing against the Giants twice a year?
Canty: "The Giants' offensive line, they're a group of tough guys. Every time we played them, you knew what you were in for. It was going to be a war. That being said, it always got me pumped up, because they're considered to be the best offensive line in the NFL. I always got pumped up to play against the Giants because of that."
Q: Did you have any question as to whether you could play in the 4-3 after playing in the 3-4 in Dallas?
Canty: "Not really, because in Dallas we did do some things where we had opportunities to play in a gap scheme. It's just that we only had three down guys instead of four. It will be a sense where you get another big guy on that defensive line instead of a linebacker. So that's exciting when you have four big guys down there attacking the offensive line. It's definitely going to be an opportunity for me to make a few more plays than I did down in Dallas. So I'm excited about that."
Q: Playing on the end, do you see yourself as potentially a double-digit sack guy?
Canty: "I definitely think there's an opportunity for that. There's so much football ahead of me and Coach Waufle and Coach Coughlin definitely expressed that to me. There's so much football ahead of me and that I could be as good as I wanted to be. I definitely think that's a possibility."
Q: You're going to have to face your old team twice a year. Have you thought about what it's going to be like to face the Cowboys for the first time?
Canty: "I have absolutely gone through that in my mind a bunch of times, particularly when the Giants said they were interested in me and they wanted me to come up there. That's one of the first things that I thought. Let's just say I've thought about it a little bit."
Q: Any bitterness toward the Cowboys because they didn't make more of an effort to keep you?
Canty: "No, no bitterness. They did what they felt was in the best interest of their football team and they had to make those decisions accordingly. And I just have to govern myself accordingly and I had to make the decision for me and find the best fit for me and I believe I've done that."
Q: How much of a factor was being born in New York and being used to, at least at an early age, what goes on around here?
Canty: "It was a big factor, because it takes a little bit of the guesswork out of the kind of place I'm going to. I'm familiar with the area. I still have a lot of family in the area, so I have that support system. So it definitely helps. It was an important factor."
Q: In your brief interactions with Coach Coughlin, are there similarities between him and Coach Parcells?
Canty: "Right away, you can always tell when you're talking to coaches under the Bill Parcells tree. When you talk about (Virginia) Coach (Al) Groh and Coach Coughlin, you can tell the things that are important to them, being a disciplined, hard-working football player and maximizing your potential. And not having any excuses. Coach Coughlin has a saying that talk is cheap, play the game. That is reflective on the type of football team that he puts out there every Sunday – a group of guys that are a team and they go out there and play team-oriented football. I think right away when he told me that and in our conversation I could sense a little bit of that. I was excited about it. I was fired up about that, because it's an opportunity to be a part of a group of guys that want to be a team and want to play together."
Q: Was that always the case in Dallas?
Canty: "I'm going to say that in Dallas we had a good group of guys, but for some reason or another during the season we just weren't able to put it together. It didn't result in success. So I want to have an opportunity to be a champion and I think the New York Giants definitely have an opportunity to do that. So I want to come and be a part of this team and this organization."
Q: Have you had a chance to talk to any of the Giants players?
Canty: "I have not."
